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Organise your important paperwork first – before you declutter the rest

Why my approach prioritises organising over decluttering.

Let’s review the three core principles of the Radical Paperwork Optimisation Approach, which I introduced in a recent article. (Read here.)

Here they are again:

    1. We focus radically. – We focus our attention on what’s very important to us now and in the future.
    2. We organise radically. – We organise only what’s very important. In a simple way, in one place.
    3. We declutter radically. – We declutter everything that’s not very important (any longer). ALL of it.

You might have wondered why we first radically organise before we radically declutter.

That’s not the typical order recommended in the professional organising world.

Organising experts usually advise decluttering first before organising what you want to keep.

For example, if you want to reorganise your clothes, you first remove everything from the wardrobe, then declutter the clothes that no longer fit or are damaged and all the pieces you don’t like and never wear. Then, you take the remaining clothes and reorganise them in your wardrobe.

I suggest and apply this approach myself for most categories of belongings.

However, I propose a different approach when it comes to personal paperwork and information.

This is why I strongly encourage organising first and decluttering second:

When organising personal paperwork, the primary focus should be on identifying and organising the documents and information that are most important now and in the future.

This ‘Radical Paperwork Optimisation’ approach prioritises what is truly essential now and disregards the rest.

Many people keep a lot of old paperwork and information that was important in the past but isn’t relevant to their lives now.

Only a small part of what has been accumulated over the years is still very important and needs to be organised efficiently.

This means that if we start our optimisation process by paying attention to and collecting only the very important papers and information, we will not be confronted with all the accumulated paperwork at once.

Instead, we can focus on a smaller part of our paperwork and information and take time to organise it carefully and efficiently.

As soon as this is done, it’s much easier to let go of the rest: The much bigger part of our paperwork/information that is no longer relevant or needed.

That’s because letting go of personal stuff and information is no longer so difficult and emotional if we can trust that the very important parts have already been sorted out and safely stored away.

Get started with your personal Radical Paperwork Optimisation project – with the Retirement Readiness Check.

You can download it for free – and it will automatically sign you up to the Optimised Paperwork Newsletter.

Download the free check & sign up for the newsletter here.

Radical Paperwork Optimisation can help you with retirement planning

Have you ever sat down and tried to devise a great plan for your retirement life?

A plan that aligns with your passions, interests, skills, capabilities, dreams, and aspirations?

And then you got stuck?

If so, you are definitely not alone.

Designing an inspiring plan for their retirement is a big challenge for many people who are approaching retirement or have recently retired.

Of course, there are many ways to determine what you want to do in retirement.

At the end of this article, you will know more about an additional and quite unusual approach to developing your retirement life plan.

The CHALLENGE of creating a retirement life plan from scratch. And the RISK of creating it solely based on the past.

Many people hesitate to start planning their retirement because they don’t know how to do it. How to ‘create’ a purpose for the next stage in their lives.

Or they decide to start planning, sit down, and stare at the wall, forcing themselves to make lists or mind maps. They get frustrated because these exercises often feel artificial and/or useless.

Others direct all their attention to their past, hoping their past experiences, actions, successes, ambitions, and preferences will give them the information they need to plan their future.

However, the past can only tell us about our past potential; it doesn’t say much about the possibilities and opportunities the future may offer.

The OPPORTUNITY to use the radical paperwork optimisation process to create an inspiring plan for your life in retirement.

Depending on what and how much you have kept over the years, sorting through your paperwork can feel like sorting through your life.

And that can feel challenging!

My suggestion is that you take up the challenge.

Reorganising and decluttering the personal paperwork you have collected over a lifetime can help you better understand the most important person in your life – you – and what this person wants the future to look like.

The BENEFITs of the radical paperwork optimisation process

In a recent article, I presented a list of the beneficial results and outcomes of the Radical Paperwork Optimisation approach.

You can find the introduction to the radical approach HERE and the list of its benefits HERE. ​​

Today, I want to have a closer look at the benefits that the process itself – the organising and decluttering work – offers to you:

The radical paperwork optimisation process helps you leave the past behind and focus on the future.

Sorting through all the paperwork you have collected over a lifetime brings up many memories and emotions, both good and not-so-good.

Making decisions about what you want to keep from the past gives you the opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate all your life experiences deliberately, the happy and the challenging times, the accomplishments and the failures.

Then, after giving your full attention to all the reminders and leftovers of the past once more, you are now free to let go of what you no longer need and want to leave behind.

You will have a better understanding and stronger appreciation of the person you are now: your unique strengths and capabilities, specific knowledge and skills, all the precious experiences and insights, and all the other good stuff you gained in the past and definitely want to take along in the present and future.

This allows you to move into the new stage of your life with more lightness. More clarity. And more confidence.

The radical paperwork optimisation process helps you design your future intentionally.

It is not easy to sort through all the paperwork, to focus only on what is very important to you, to select exclusively what is truly relevant to you now, and to decide what is no longer needed.

However, while you force yourself to decide, again and again, what you no longer need and want to leave behind because it is no longer important, you become increasingly aware of what you truly value in your life and what you want to have in your future.

You find it easier to make decisions and create inspiring plans – plans that give your retirement life purpose and direction.

What do you think?

Can you see how radically sorting through your paperwork can help you feel more excited while you are developing your retirement plans?

Get started now with your personal Radical Paperwork Optimisation project – take the first step: the Retirement Readiness Check. 

You can download it for free – and it will automatically sign you up to the Optimised Paperwork Newsletter.

Download the free check & sign up for the newsletter here.

Radical Paperwork Optimisation = Radical Retirement Optimisation

The Radical Paperwork Optimisation Approach (read more here) is super effective in helping us radically organise our physical and digital paperwork.

It makes us well-prepared for a relaxed retirement.

 

Benefits/outcomes of your Radical Paperwork Optimisation Project

I recommend you invest some time in identifying the specific outcomes and benefits you want to experience at the end of the optimization journey – before you start your Radical Paperwork Optimisation project.

Knowing where you want to go will help you stay motivated and committed even if the journey takes a bit longer than planned or becomes a bit more uncomfortable than expected.

Consider these potential benefits/outcomes of your Radical Paperwork Optimisation Project:

Mental and emotional relief

By radically focusing on organising the very important paperwork and radically decluttering the no longer relevant paperwork, you will also experience a significant reduction in mental clutter. This approach helps you relieve stress and gain peace of mind, allowing you to enjoy a (more) relaxed retirement life.

Maximised space

Clearing out physical paperwork frees up valuable space in your home, making changes like downsizing or moving into a smaller living space much easier. And reducing clutter on your devices creates digital space and order.

Decluttering no longer relevant paperwork also increases your mental space and capacity.

Efficient use of time

With a downsized and well-organised paperwork system, you will save significant time and energy previously wasted on worrying about or searching for important documents. This efficiency allows you to spend more time on activities you enjoy.

Clarity in important information

Focusing on only what’s very important makes it much easier to distinguish essential documents from non-essential ones. This clarity ensures that you retain only what’s necessary and can quickly access critical information when needed.

Proactive future planning

Organising your paperwork effectively supports better planning and managing life changes, such as downsizing or handling unexpected events. This proactive approach simplifies transitions and ensures you’re better prepared for anything that might come up in the future.

Support for your family in emergencies

Having a radically optimised paperwork system ensures that your family can easily access necessary documents in case you get seriously ill or even die. This reduces their stress and confusion during already challenging times, providing them with a clear roadmap to manage your affairs.

Enhanced enjoyment of the present

By eliminating unnecessary paperwork, you free yourself from being tied to the past. This allows you to fully embrace and enjoy the present and future, engaging in new experiences and activities without distraction.

Regained sense of control

Organizing your paperwork efficiently gives you a strong sense of control over your life and affairs. This feeling of being in control brings confidence and peace of mind, making the transition into retirement smoother and more empowering.

Simplified legacy planning

Well-organised paperwork makes creating wills, trusts, and other legacy documents much simpler and more efficient. This helps prevent legal complications and ensures your legacy will be handled according to your wishes.

Increased self-awareness, self-appreciation, self-empowerment

(This is my favourite benefit/outcome. And it often gets ignored or overlooked.)

Organising and decluttering your paperwork in the suggested radical way requires much practical work. It can also be emotionally and mentally challenging.

To get from start to finish, you need to be(come) curious, courageous, compassionate, determined and decisive.

And that’s exactly what makes the whole exercise so valuable. And powerful. And empowering.

It’s not just that your paperwork will be clutterfree and efficiently organised at the end of the process.

You will enter retirement knowing exactly what you want in this phase of your life and being well-prepared to get it.

 

I know – this was a long list to go through.🙃

But I didn’t manage to make it shorter because I feel all these benefits are so important.

What about you?

Have you discovered some benefits of a radically optimised paperwork system that haven’t been on your radar before?

Write them down!

Knowing your reasons is so important because it will help you a lot while you organise and declutter your paperwork.

If you are constantly aware of the desired outcomes, you can re-motivate yourself and keep going when things are not so fun.

Get started now with your personal Radical Paperwork Optimisation project – take the first step: the Retirement Readiness Check. 

You can download it for free – and it will automatically sign you up to the Optimised Paperwork Newsletter.

Download the free check & sign up for the newsletter here.

 

Your relationship with your paperwork. And its effect on your retirement.

Most people I know don’t like their current relationship with their paperwork.

And that’s understandable.

We all have accumulated an enormous amount of physical and digital paperwork over the course of our lives.

And often, it’s not very well organised. It takes up a lot of space in our homes, devices, and minds!

An overabundance of paperwork can cause stress and feel overwhelming.

At any time in our lives. 

I believe it’s particularly problematic and can become a heavy burden in retirement.

Think about the many negative consequences of ‘too much’ personal information in your life:

    • The ‘too much’ contains a lot of clutter, making it difficult to distinguish between what’s important and what’s not.
    • It consumes too much space in your life and mind, leaving less room for new ideas, plans, activities, and experiences.
    • It redirects your attention and energy to the past, preventing you from fully enjoying the present.
    • It complicates planning and managing changes in life circumstances, such as moving or downsizing.
    • It prevents you from being well-prepared in an emergency or life crisis.
    • It intensifies your family’s suffering when something happens to you, such as critical illness or death, and they must take care of your affairs.
    • It creates limiting feelings like insecurity, overwhelm, inadequacy, shame, frustration, or indecisiveness.

Too much and/or disorganised paperwork prevents us from transitioning into retirement with clarity and lightness.

And peace of mind.

What can we do to make it easier to fully enjoy a rich and relaxed life in retirement?

I believe the SOLUTION is
  • to exclusively focus on what’s very important to us now – and organise that in a simple and clear way.
  • And to radically sort out what might have been important in the past but is no longer relevant now.

If this approach sounds interesting to you and you are open to learning more about its radical aspect, then my new newsletter is for you.

The Purpose of the Optimised Paperwork Newsletter

I decided to start this newsletter to have a place where I can introduce my Radical Paperwork Optimisation Approach step by step.

My approach is not complicated; however, it is – yes, it is radical.

That’s why I want to take the time to explain it in detail. I also plan to offer many examples and case studies to make it easy to follow its six steps.

I know for sure that we can be well prepared for an enjoyable and relaxed retirement – if we learn to master all of life’s information – and focus only on what’s very important to us now.

Are you going to come along with me?

Get started with your personal Radical Paperwork Optimisation project – with the Retirement Readiness Check. 

You can download it for free – and it will automatically sign you up to the Optimised Paperwork Newsletter.

Download the free check & sign up for the newsletter here.

A Deep Dive into Radical Paperwork Optimisation

The Radical Paperwork Optimisation Process is a six-step approach to paperwork management designed to help people, particularly those approaching or in retirement, gain control of their personal information and achieve peace of mind.

The process emphasises a “radical” focus on what is truly important, aiming to reduce paperwork by at least 50% and organise the remaining essential documents effectively.

An Introduction

The Core Problem: Paperwork Overload and Its Impact on Retirement

An overabundance of paperwork can become an overwhelming burden at any time in life and particularly as you transition into retirement.

This burden appears in different ways:

    • Mental and Emotional Clutter: Owning too much and/or disorganised paperwork is linked to stress, anxiety, and a sense of being overwhelmed.
    • Wasted Time and Energy: Locating and managing important documents amidst clutter leads to wasted time and energy, hindering productivity and enjoyment of retirement.
    • Hindered Future Planning: Lack of paperwork and information organisation makes it challenging to plan for future events, such as downsizing, or managing unexpected circumstances.
    • Burden on Loved Ones: In emergencies, disorganisation can significantly burden family members who need to access crucial information.

The Solution: Radical Paperwork Optimisation

The “Radical Paperwork Optimisation Approach” is based on three core principles:

    1. Radical Focus: Concentrate solely on information and documents essential for your present and future life.
    2. Radical Organisation: Systematically organise this crucial information in a single, easily accessible location.
    3. Radical Decluttering: Discard everything else that does not meet these criteria.

The approach involves six actionable steps:

Step 1: Assess Your Current Relationship with Paperwork

Begin by honestly evaluating your current paperwork situation. The free guide, “7 Questions to Clarify Your Relationship with Personal Paperwork“, provides a practical starting point. Reflecting on these questions helps you understand your current comfort level, identify areas for improvement, and acknowledge any negative emotions associated with paperwork management.

Step 2: Embrace the Commitment to Radical Change

Acknowledge the need for a significant shift in how you manage paperwork and commit to investing the necessary time and effort. Identifying the benefits of an organised system—such as reduced stress, increased efficiency, and peace of mind—will fuel your motivation.

Step 3: Create a Comprehensive Paperwork Inventory

Develop a clear picture of your existing paperwork by creating a detailed inventory. This involves:

    • Physical Inventory: Documenting all physical storage locations and the types of documents they contain.
    • Digital Inventory: Listing digital storage locations (computer, cloud, external drives) and the types of files stored in each.

This step provides valuable awareness of the volume and types of paperwork you possess, setting the stage for effective organisation and decluttering.

Step 4: Define Your Criteria for “Very Important” Information

Establish clear criteria to differentiate between essential and non-essential information. Consider your values, future goals, and the insights gained from the inventory. This step lays the groundwork for confident decision-making, first during the organising and then later during the decluttering process.

Step 5: Create Your VIP Directory – The Heart of the Optimised Paperwork System

Develop a centralised ‘information collection point’ called the “Very Important Paperwork Directory” (VIP Directory). This will serve as the primary repository for all crucial documents and information.

    • Organise by Life Areas: Structure the directory based on relevant life areas, such as personal identification, financial information, healthcare, and legacy planning.
    • Physical or Digital: Opt for a physical binder or a digital folder structure based on your preference.

The VIP Directory becomes your go-to resource for essential information, ensuring easy access and peace of mind.

Step 6: Radically Declutter What’s No Longer Relevant

With your VIP Directory established, systematically discard any remaining paperwork or digital information that does not align with your defined criteria. The goal is to reduce your total paperwork by at least 50%, freeing up physical, digital, and mental space.

Benefits of the Radical Approach: Real-Life Transformations

Testimonials from previous clients highlight the transformative impact of this approach:

    • Increased Space and Clarity: “It’s amazing how much more space I have, both physically and mentally. I no longer spend time searching for information.” (T.M.)
    • Preparedness and Peace of Mind: “My sister was so relieved when I showed her my new organised paperwork system. She knows exactly where everything is.” (M.M.)
    • Freedom and Focus: “I feel I am finally well prepared for my retirement. And I feel lighter. I learned a lot about myself and have built a good relationship with my past.” (J.E.)

Beyond Organisation: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Empowerment

The Radical Paperwork Optimisation process extends beyond mere organisation; it becomes a journey of:

    • Self-Reflection: The act of sorting through a lifetime of paperwork prompts reflection on past experiences, values, and priorities.
    • Intentional Living: Defining criteria for “very important” information encourages conscious choices about what truly matters in this new phase of life.
    • Empowerment: Taking control of paperwork fosters a sense of capability and agency, and enables you to confidently navigate the complexities of retirement.

By adopting the Radical Paperwork Optimisation approach, you can radically reduce your personal paperwork and simply organise what you need to keep.

You gain order, space, time and peace of mind – knowing that all your important personal information has been taken care of and is organised – in one place.

For a well-organised and relaxed retirement!

How can you solve the problem of ‘just too much’ physical and digital paperwork?

And get ready for a well-organised and relaxed retirement?

    • The Retirement Readiness Check helps you clarify your relationship with your personal paperwork.
    • And the weekly Optimised Paperwork Newsletter helps you make it – radically – better.

Download the free check & sign up for the newsletter here.

Intentional Living: What do you want to care about? And what do you not want to care about?

Living our lives intentionally includes thinking about and deciding who we want to be and how we want to show up in our lives.

It also includes deliberately deciding what we want to care about – because it’s important to us – and what we are not willing to care about—because it’s not important to us.

What do you want to care about?

Trying to answer this question can be an intimidating and overwhelming exercise.

Because there is so much to care about!

Everywhere we look, there is something to care about.

We see so many things – in ourselves and others – that we want to improve, change, fix, or act on because we care about them.

However, the caring potential that each of us has is limited.

If we try to care about everything that comes to our mind, that attracts our attention, enthusiasm, or passion, we are doomed to fail, get disappointed and discouraged, get exhausted, and burn out.

Because our time, energy, and personal resources are limited – we can’t care about everything.

Once we recognise that it is impossible to care about everything we want to care about, we can decide to focus our caring potential on the things we personally care about most.

We can decide to deliberately constrain our caring by asking ourselves:

What am I not willing to care about (any longer)?

Little exercise:

Setting up some guiding steps before you start writing down your answer to the question above can be helpful.

Consider these suggestions:

#1 – Make a list of all areas of your life.

Example:   Relationships, work, home, fitness and health, finances, personal interests and hobbies, etc.

#2 – Choose the area you want to focus on right now.

Example:   My relationships.

#3 – Pick the one segment of your focus area you care about most.

Example:   My relationship with my mother.

#4 – List all the things you care about regarding that thing.

Example:   What I care about regarding my relationship with my mother:

    • a) She says she is feeling lonely. Should I visit her more often?
    • b) I wish she had a closer relationship with Aunt Mary.
    • c) I am worried about her health. I think she should eat healthier and drink more water.
    • d) I wonder what she is thinking about our recently bought house.
    • e) She is always so impatient with the waiters when I take her out for lunch.
    • f) She wants me to call her daily, which stresses me out.

#5 – Go through your list again. Can you discover specific patterns? Categories of things you care about?

Example:   It seems I am thinking a lot about what she might think of me and what she expects of me. I am worried about her well-being, and in some regards, I am quite judgmental of her.

#6 – Deliberately choose the things you are no longer willing to care about.

Example:   I am no longer willing to care about what she thinks of me (d, f). I am no longer willing to care about what (I thought) she should or shouldn’t do. (b, e)

#7 – Cross these things out on your list.

Example:

    • a) She says she is feeling lonely. Should I visit her more often?
    • b)  wish she had a closer relationship with Aunt Mary.
    • c) I am worried about her health. I think she should eat healthier and drink more water.
    • d) I wonder what she is thinking about our recently bought house.
    • e) She is always so impatient with the waiters when I take her out for dinner.
    • f) She wants me to call her daily, which stresses me out.

#8 – Now, look at what remains on your list. These are the things you want to care about.

Are you taking care of them in the best possible way already? Is there any room for improvement?

Example:

    • a) I care about her well-being. And although I know that I’m not able to take away her feelings of loneliness, I decide now to visit her twice instead of once each week.
    • c) I accept that I can’t make her eat healthier or drink more. However, I’ll ensure she always has healthy snacks and enough water in her kitchen.

#9 – Finally, promise yourself that these – a) and c) – are the only things you will care about regarding your mother.

Nothing else.

Only these two things.

Example:

You will enjoy your relationship with your mother much more – because you now know you care about and take care of what’s most important to you.

Most probably, your mother will enjoy her relationship with you also more. 🙂

Downsizing: Start your preparation by knocking your ‘Clutter Champions’ off their pedestals

Downsizing to a smaller place is impossible without rigorously ‘downsizing’ your furniture and belongings.

The best—and probably easiest—way to start preparing for your downsizing project is to identify and tackle your ‘clutter champions’.

What Are Clutter Champions?

Clutter champions are the areas and belongings that accumulate over time, serving no real purpose and cluttering your space.

They are the items and areas in your home that:

    • Are ignored and unused
    • Get hidden away (under the bed, in a garage corner)
    • Collect dust or rust

Examples of Clutter Champions

    • Overcrowded spaces like a garage with no room for the car
    • Unused furniture, such as an inherited armchair
    • Books you no longer read or recipe books you never open
    • Piles of untouched papers
    • Old school or work materials
    • Kitchen appliances that don’t match your current habits
    • Dressers filled with out-of-fashion clothes
    • Wardrobes full of clothes that don’t fit or are rarely worn
    • Unused 24-piece cutlery sets from long-ago weddings
    • Etc. 
    • (Can you think of one of your Clutter Champions right away?)

Clutter champions occupy space and weigh us down mentally. They remind us of unfinished tasks and make us feel guilty for not dealing with them.

And, of course, –

Clutter champions don’t deserve a space in your new home!

You must confront your clutter champions and move them out of your home – before you move out.

Action Plan to Defeat Your Clutter Champions

Step 1: Identify Your Clutter Champions

Walk through your home: Open every door and look around each room.

Ask yourself:

    • Are there any clutter champions here?
    • What’s here that doesn’t serve me anymore?
    • What have I not used for ages?
    • What makes me feel ashamed or frustrated?

Be thorough: Look under beds, into cupboards, drawers, and bags. Take photos if that helps to get a clearer picture.

Step 2: List Your Clutter Champions

Create a comprehensive list of all your clutter champions.

Your list might look something like this:

    • Bookshelves in the guest room
    • Storage unit
    • Garden tools in the shed
    • Boxes with Aunt Angie’s dishes in the attic
    • Box with paperwork inherited from Grandpa
    • Lucy’s artwork (under the bed in the guest room)

Step 3: Reflect on Your Clutter Champions

Spend some time understanding each item:

    • What’s the story behind this item?
    • Why did I keep it after it lost its usefulness?
    • How do I feel about having it?
    • How would I feel if it were gone?
    • Am I ready to let it go? Now?

Step 4: Make a Decision

Choose one clutter champion to start with:

‘This is the clutter champion I will clear up first: ……’

Step 5: Take Action

Estimate the time needed: Determine how long it will take to tackle your first clutter champion.

Schedule decluttering sessions: Mark them in your calendar and commit to them.

Do the work: Follow through and create space by letting go of what no longer serves you.

Celebrate the wins: Appreciate and enjoy the space and peace of mind you gained.

By eliminating your clutter champions, you’ll create more physical space and free up mental space.

You will feel more capable and ready to tackle other areas of your home and categories of belongings that need some ‘downsizing’ before you move.

Start tackling your clutter champions today – and transform the beginning of your downsizing project into a positive, empowering experience!

Another important downsizing task:

Your Radical Paperwork Optimisation Project.

The goal is to reduce the physical and digital paperwork you have accumulated over the years by 50% and organise the remaining 50% efficiently and simply. 

The Optimised Paperwork Newsletter will teach you all you need to know about the Radical Paperwork Optimisation approach. 

Join the Optimised paperwork newsletter here

Downsizing – 9 Questions to make the move easier.

Why can it be so hard to get a house ready for downsizing?

There are many reasons – these three are the most relevant for most people:

1. – Downsizing is a major life change.

When we decide to downsize, we are not just changing our physical location.

We are also leaving behind a larger home that holds memories of our past and present lives. The smaller space we move into will initially be unfamiliar – and it will shape our future.

Downsizing is, in essence, a significant life transition.

Continue reading Downsizing – 9 Questions to make the move easier.

Your Daily Life – Simply Organised – Some Inspirations

The purpose of the Simply Organised Newsletter is to make your daily life easier:

The Simply Organised Newsletter is supposed to help you on an ongoing basis – every week – to get things sorted out and simply organised – so you can gain more time, space, clarity, and energy in your daily life – and more joy.

The purpose of this post is to make it even easier to make your daily life easier 😄:

It summarizes the core messages, quick tips, and little exercises that I discuss in more detail in the newsletter emails. 

So, if you want more background information, detailed examples, and case studies, you should sign up for the Simply Organised Newsletter.

However, if you want just some quick inspiration, you can read the Simply Organised Newsletter Summaries HERE:

Continue reading Your Daily Life – Simply Organised – Some Inspirations

Your 10-minute Challenges help you get Simply Organised.

The 10-minute Challenge series is part of my weekly Newsletter, ‘Simply Organised.’

I introduced this series after some of my subscribers suggested making the newsletter emails even shorter, less complex, and more practicable.

The purpose of each challenge is to help you organise yourself and your life better.

The challenge could relate to managing your home, your physical paperwork and digital information, your to-do list and calendar, and, of course, to managing your mind/mindset.

The beauty of these 10-minute challenges is their simplicity.

They’re designed to be quick – just 10 minutes! -and easy, allowing you to experiment without investing much time.

You’ll know almost immediately if the suggested exercise is beneficial for you. If it is, incorporate it into your routine. If not, simply move on to the next one.

Continue reading Your 10-minute Challenges help you get Simply Organised.

Your top priorities make it easier to plan and organise your life intentionally.

Living intentionally means that you deliberately decide how you want to live – and what you want to do to create the life you want.

It means that you don’t let life just happen to you and purely react to its circumstances and challenges.

Instead, you actively define what’s important to you and how you want to experience and live your life.

You are well aware of your priorities and proactively make changes that move you toward the life you want to live.

Your priorities give your life direction and guidance.

Planning your life with intention doesn’t have to be an intimidating or overwhelming exercise.

If you regularly check and update your priorities, you are well prepared to act and react confidently when faced with bigger or smaller decisions in everyday life.

Your priorities also direct and guide you when you must manage a significant life challenge:

    • A planned transition like entering retirement, becoming an empty nester, downsizing,
    • or an unexpected event like divorce, the loss of a job, a critical illness, or the death of a loved one.

How do you choose your priorities – and direct your life in the way you want it to go?

Continue reading Your top priorities make it easier to plan and organise your life intentionally.

Your Paperwork Inbox – The fundation of your paperwork management system

Inboxes are a ‘natural’ basic element of all functioning organisational systems.

In all areas of our lives, we find places and containers that act as inboxes, helping us get things done and organise ourselves efficiently.

(Check Article 1 and Article 2 for a quick recap.)

In this series, we focus our attention and discussion on the inboxes that help us organise critical elements of our daily lives – our time, space, paperwork, projects, and tasks efficiently.

Today, we discuss

The paperwork inbox.

Many organisational inboxes allow us to follow our preferences and choose a physical or a digital version.

Like for example, the inbox for our notes. We can choose a physical notebook to collect and organise our notes or use a digital note app.

It’s different with our paperwork inbox. Usually, we can’t decide to have only one paperwork inbox:

Most of us need to keep a physical and a digital inbox:

Continue reading Your Paperwork Inbox – The fundation of your paperwork management system